74 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



position. White oak is firm, especially that fur 

 exporting. Ued oak is a little off. Chestuut, 

 hasswood, birch, maple niul in fact all tin- 

 liardwoods are steady. 



Baltimore. 



While the leading hardwoods liave steadily held 

 their own ip the market here, prices being tirm 

 and the demand of generous proportions, a feel- 

 ing of uncertainty bad taken possession of the 

 trade. During the past two weeks a distinctly 

 better tone has manifested itself and dealers 

 are now disposed to take the view that business 

 will continue good. Here and there a decided 

 increase in activity is reported. One local linn 

 makes the statement that its sales this month 

 are larger than those for some time past, jind 

 stocks in general are being moved more prompt- 

 ly. There had been considerable complaint by 

 manufacturers along the liue of the Norfolk & 

 Western road about a shortage of cars. This has 

 evidently been remedied, at least some of the 

 lirms most seriously affected say that during the 

 past week or ten days they have been getting ;ill 

 the cars they need. As a disposition to buy also 

 prevails the accumulations at mills are being. 

 in a measure, reduced. An improvement is like- 

 wise noted in tinaucial conditions, the banks lend- 

 ing more freely and the monetary stringency be- 

 ing less in evidence. All the mills are being 

 operated whenever it is possible, and the inquiry 

 is quite active, though the offerings are more 

 liberal than was the case some months ago. The 

 common grades of oak seem to be more plentiful 

 thaji is compatible with firmness in prices, while 

 high quality lumber finds ready takers and com- 

 mands attractive figures. Heavy shipments 

 abroad have made tlie foreign market rather 

 <iuiet. and there is as yet no particular suap in 

 the inquiry from that region. Ash and other 

 woods are meeting with a good demand in this 

 section and the stocks do not exceed moderate 

 proportions, while the European buyers evince 

 a disposition to hold back in the expectation that 

 the quotations may drop. 



Pittsburg. 



spurts in demand for several lines of hard- 

 wood himber are being commented upon quite 

 generally in Pittsburg. Within the past few 

 days both railroad and traction ties have been 

 in much better call. Maple and beech flooring 

 are more active, sliowing that builders are at 

 last getting to the point where they can do the 

 yard men some good. Locust posts are wanted had- 

 ly. and better prices are being paid than for some 

 time. There is a general demand for white oak 

 timbers that is liard to satisfy. Lath men are 

 reporting much better business. For the minor 

 hardwiHxIs. hickory, ash. elm and walnut the in- 

 quiry has greatly increased since the first of the 

 month and calls from manufacturers throughout 

 the middle west indicate that they will need 

 large additions to their present contracts before 

 Jan. 1. 



The price situation is, on the whole, more fa- 

 vorable. Kirm demand in many lines is keeping 

 (luotations right up to list. Some cutting is in 

 practice among the smaller concerns, especially 

 where lots are broken or where a threatened car 

 shortage is nuiking if hard work to get lumber 

 started from the mills. The most conspicuous 

 example of a weakness in local ]U-ices is in chest- 

 nut, which is not gaining strpugth any, according 

 to general reports. Sound wormy keeps in faik' 

 demand, but the pctorer grades are offered at 

 considerable concessions. 



The worst complaint from the wholesalers is 

 the difficulty of getting cash for their lumber. 

 ('oUections for two months past have been slow. 

 and the fact that the banks have practically re- 

 fused to discount ordinary paper has made it 

 necessary to i^ut much more money into the 

 wholesale business. Local firms are also making 

 heavy expenditures in the way of new timber 

 tracts, new plants and machinery and are pre- 

 paring to make a very large winter's cut of hard- 

 wood in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and states 

 fa'.'ther south. 



Buffalo. 



In the general lumber trade the movement is 

 rather light, though most hardwoods are doing 

 well. Consumers do not buy any more than 

 thej' need and are eager for shipment as soon 

 as they give their orders. Oak is plenty, but 

 is selling readily. Chestnut and ash arc going 

 fast and are in better supply than they were. 

 They do not promise to return to full assort- 

 ments again. There is no increase in the supi)ly 

 of poplar and the price is very high. Elm and 

 basswood are selling moderately, the supply is 

 not large and jobbers find it hard to buy so 

 that they can make a fair profit. 



Tliere is the usual hioking toward soutln'ni 

 pine and Pacific coast lumber for tilling in thf 

 gaps caused by the scarcity of many liardwoods 

 and the high price of white pine. 



Bay City and Saginaw. 



The market is improving according to oper 

 ators. It was the conviction of lumbermen 

 during the summer dulness tliat the letting up 

 would be only temporary, and that this view 

 was correct is already being demonstrated. De- 

 spite the high rate of wages paid for woods 

 work and the cost of supplies, so far as ascer- 

 tained the b.ggers and mill firms are calculating 

 upon i)utting in the usual stocks this fall and 

 winter. The active demand last winter for all 

 kinds of hardwood lumber and the fact that 

 large i]uantities of stock had becu contracted for 

 from the mills for future delivery has placed 

 the market in good condition, as so much of this 

 season's cut was sold last winter and taken out 

 of the market that there hasn't been the accu- 

 mulation of stock that would otherwise have 

 resulted. I^rices are well maintained. The 

 limited quantities of asli, oak and basswood in 

 stock have made a strong market for those com- 

 modities. Dealers are I'xpecting a fair winter's 

 business and their expectations appear to be 

 justified by indications. Yard dealers as well 

 as manufacturers are in good spirits and all 

 are confident. In a word there isn't a streak 

 of weakness anywhere in the business. 



Indianapolis. 



Hardwood lumber dealers are particularly op- 

 timistic, and prospects seem to be bright for a 

 heavy fall and earlj' winter business. All of the 

 local concerns are well stocked and lumber seems 

 to be arriving as needed. There has been a slight 

 increase in the demand during the last two weeks 

 and the market is more promising than it has 

 been for several weeks. 



The car shortage which was predicted last 

 month by railroad officials has not arrived, nor 

 does it seem imminent for some time. The recent 

 shippers' law compelling railroads to fill orders 

 for cars in the order received is having a tendency 

 to give lumbermen a better ()pportunity to ship 

 their stock. 



I'rices remain practically the same as they 

 have been since June, when there was a slight 

 advance. 



Bristol, Va.-Tenn. 



The lumber business in this section is grad- 

 ually recovering from a period of dulness and 

 prices are slowly recovering. Demand for cer- 

 tain stocks which rehixed some weeks ago is 

 stiffening and it is the unanimous opinion in 

 the best informed hardwood circles that the 

 prospects for fall and winter business are now 

 much brighter than they were a few weeks ago. 



A better call for oak is noted, while poplar 

 is more than holding its own, as it has done 

 even tlirough the dull season. The demand for 

 chestnut, especially thick stock, is better. 



Local exporters report an appreciable im- 

 provement in the foreign markets. "The out- 

 look is much brigliter for exporters," said IL 

 M. Hoskins of the II. M. Hoskins Lumber Com- 

 l)any to the Hahdwood Recoiu) correspondent. 

 This Is the unanimous sentiment of all of those 

 engaged in that business. 



Cincinnati. 

 No matt 'rial thaugt-s have been noted in tlie 

 local hardwood situation during the last fort- 

 night, with the exception that poplar and quar- 

 tered oak have shown a little added strength. 

 The Indian summer, which has set in here, 

 has lent some strength to the purchase of these 

 two items of wood. The others have been in 

 fair request and, considering the fact that the 

 fall trade has not set in, they are doing well. 

 A big boom is looked for in all grades of hard- 

 woods within the next two weeks, as dealers 

 are .-mticipating the start of the fall trade. 

 which, according to large dealers, will be good, 

 providing there is a change in the money situa 

 tiou. Tlie scarcity of money has figured mate- 

 rially in the demand. The retail dealers have 

 I ome into the market and are buying, but on 

 a small scale. Their contemplated depreciation 

 in tlie prices of hardwoods was not forthcoming 

 and now They are forced to pay the standard 

 prices. White oak has not Ijeen doing any 

 better, but mahogany, cypress, hickory and 

 walnut have kei>t on a par with the pace set 

 some weeks ago. 



St. Louis. 



A\'hile the fall season has l)een remarkably slow 

 in advancing in this market, orders are <-oming 

 in a little more freely, with i-very indication that 

 they will be exceedingly brisk within a few days. 

 The crop situati<)n seems to be satisfactory, and 

 it will have its effect upon the lumber business 

 in the near future. There is no cutting of prices, 

 on the contrary, certain items have advanced con- 

 siderably. A week or ten days should see things 

 booming. However, the car shortage is going to 

 he a serious drawback, as from many mill points 

 come the report of delayed shipping and conse- 

 quent curtailment of operations. 



Nashville. 



Tlie past week was a .L;«tod one with the hini- 

 beiiuen. Not much busiuess was trausacted (lur- 

 ing Friday and SatuiMlay, however, as practically 

 all the little lumber world went over to Memphis, 

 where the Nashville team was defeated and Mem- 

 phis helped cinch her claim on the "hardwood 

 championship of the Smith." Dry stocks an- still 

 low in poplar, ash and chestnut, in spite of lib 

 era! receipts from the country mills. (lak is 

 plentiful, however. Little cliange is noted in 

 prices. The piuncipal thing that is worrying the 

 local dealers just now is the prospect of a con- 

 siderable car shortage. The outlook for business 

 is bright, however. Little change in prices is an- 

 ticipated. 



Memphis. 



There is some impnivement in the demand for 

 hardw(tod lumber and the market is gratlually 

 working into more satisfactory .shape. There 

 is a decided increase in the number of iuijuiries 

 and this is accepted by the trade as an augury 

 of excellent business within a short time. This 

 prevailing optimism regarding the outlook is 

 largely responsible for the manner in whicli 

 prices are maintained. Moreover, there is only 

 a moderate stock of dry lumber on hand and 

 it would be difficult for consumers to secure 

 large fiuantities for immediate shipment. There 

 is a great deal of lumber on sticks as a result 

 of the excellent weather which has prevailed 

 for the past few months, but there will probably 

 be no surplus. Furthermore, the time is ap- 

 proaching for had weather and curtailed pro- 

 duction and it is felt that there will be an out- 

 let for all the hardwood lumber available during 

 the fall and winter. The export trade is very 

 slow an<l most of the exporters here express the 

 view that this condition will probably continue 

 for a while. Hut even exporters are not dis 

 couraged over the outlook, believing that in due 

 course of time there will be a resumption <if 

 active buying on the part of the foreign trade. 



The relative position of the various items 

 here has slmwii little cliange. The demaiul fov 



